Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series about the economic factors of hydraulic fracturing.
Although some Athenians have expressed outrage at the possibility of hydraulic fracturing within county lines, others, such as Craig Mehr, are unable to ignore the financial windfall that could come with drilling on their land.
Mehr signed the mineral rights to his 50-acre tree farm in Amesville over to Cunningham Energy, a West Virginia-based oil and gas company that has leased more than 100,000 acres of land to hydraulically fracture in Athens County.
As a disabled veteran, signing a lease gave Mehr peace of mind in terms of his role in the United State’s stride toward energy independence and his own family’s stability.
“Natural gas is a much better alternative, I think. It’s better than being dependant on oil from overseas,” Mehr said.
Despite the local opposition to hydraulic fracturing, Mehr believes that in the greater scheme of things signing a lease is beneficial to the United States’ mentality.
“Using our own resources could be something our country needs to get its head out of its butt and focus on itself,” Mehr said.
Along with his stance on fracking, Mehr was motivated to lease his land because of the financial opportunities it presented.
In 1985, while enlisted in the U.S. Army, Mehr suffered a brain injury when another soldier assaulted him, kicking Mehr’s head off a curb. Along with losing his senses of smell and taste, Mehr also suffers from memory loss.
“Since the incident I have a much higher probability of getting dementia,” Mehr said. “ And now I probably have, at most, 10 years of being me.”
“Imagine forgetting where you park your car … all the time. You just feel ridiculous,” said Mehr, who has been told his probability of developing dementia has increased substantially as a result of the incident.
The money he will receive from leasing his land has given Mehr great relief for the stability and comfort of his wife, daughter and grandson. According to Mehr’s lease agreement, he will receive upwards of $120,000 over the course of his five-year contract.
“The dollar amount will never be able to compare to the happiness, comfort and time it will give me,” he said.
Mehr added that while the lease is fair and beneficial to him, the straight-forwardness of Cunningham officials also played a major role in his decision to sign.
“They gave it to me straight and said, ‘This could be what you get, but it might not.’ I like it when people are clear, nothing ambiguous,” Mehr said.
Mehr signed a lease written by Athens-based attorney John Lavelle, whose contracts have been used in agreements spanning 35,000 acres across the county since Thanksgiving.
Lavelle said it is stories such as Mehr’s that make writing leases an emotional experience.
“I got to see a ray of hope in these people’s eyes,” Lavelle said.
Once his money comes through, Mehr hopes to retire from his job as senior library associate at Alden Library in the next year to be able to spend time with his family.
“I know I may not really be here, mentally, much longer,” Mehr said. “But at least I will have those years with my wife, daughter and grandson. It’s a gift. What more can you ask for?”
kg287609@ohiou.edu
